This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-12979, filed on Mar. 11, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image input/output device, and more particularly, to an image input/output device for displaying an image on a single panel and generating an electrical image signal by photographing an object or inputting optical information.
2. Description of the Related Art
As communications over the Internet and the use of mobile phones expand constantly, there is an increasing demand for photographing desired objects and transmitting images thereof to other parties as well as displaying images sent from other parties on a monitor.
To meet this increasing demand, it has become quite popular to install a separate camera in a computer system besides a monitor 1 for displaying an image as shown in FIG. 1, which allows an operator to photograph a desired object and transmit the image thereof to other parties. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 3 and 4 denote a main frame of a computer and a keyboard for inputting data, respectively.
Since a conventional display device like a typical computer monitor can simply display an image, a separate camera is required in order to photograph an object and visually communicate with the other party.
However, in order to take a photograph of himself/herself without preventing a user to view an image displayed on a display device, the operator has to position a camera away from the display device. This has a problem in that it is impossible to photograph the operator right in front of the display device, which reduces the vividness in interactive visual communications.
In addition, for digital television using a conventional display device, it is difficult for the viewer to directly select commands from a menu displayed on the screen with an optical remote controller, etc., since such a display device just serves as a display screen.
To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image input/output device that allows an operator to photograph himself/herself in front of a display and generate an electrical image signal, or to directly input optical information on a screen.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image input/output device including a silicon light device panel consisting of a plurality of silicon light devices arranged on an n- or p-type silicon based substrate in two or more-dimensional arrays for inputting and/or outputting an image. Each of the plurality of silicon light devices includes a doping region on one surface of the substrate, so that the silicon light device is used as a light-emitting device and light-receiving device, the doping region being doped to an ultra-shallow depth with a predetermined dopant of the opposite type to the substrate. An electrode is patterned into the substrate to enable the input and/or output of the image into and from the silicon light device panel on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
Here, an input and output of the image are performed with respect to different pixels. Alternatively, input and output of the image may be performed with respect to the same pixel.
The silicon light device further includes a control layer acting as a mask so that the doped region can be formed to an ultra-shallow depth.
The silicon light device panel may be configured so that three or more silicon light devices, which emit and/or absorb light, correspond to each pixel. Preferably, the three or more silicon light devices corresponding to each pixel are designed to input and/or output different wavelengths of light for representing a color image.
The image input/output device may further comprise a color filter for displaying a clear color image on a light input and/or output side of the silicon light device panel.
Also, the image input/output device according to the present invention can be used in a digital television for which an optical remote controller is used to input information on a screen and/or select a menu command on the screen.